Installing a boat ramp on a bank of a body of water is a complicated undertaking. Inasmuch as a portion of the ramp will be under water, one cannot simply place forms and pour concrete in the usual manner. In a typical installation, a boat ramp is formed of precast concrete planks that are placed on a slope extending into the water. The placement of these planks requires the use of heavy machinery, which may not be readily accessible on the bank of a body of water. Upon installation and over time, the cement planks may settle into the bank and floor of the body of water. As they do so, sand and other sediment is pushed out and the action of waves carries it away, thereby eroding the bank and floor of the body of water.
Once in place, the concrete planks are not readily removable. In addition to requiring the use of heavy machinery, removal may require digging out the concrete planks. Once removed, remediation of the bank and floor of the body of water may also be required due to settling of the planks and damage caused by the machinery used.
It would be an advancement in the art to provide an improved approach to the design and installation of boat ramps that would reduce bank erosion or provide for ready removal.